Have I told you that I’m part Italian? I must have by now … or at least some of cooking and recipe favorites may have given it away? It’s on my Italian heritage that I blame my love for bread, pasta, anything with homemade tomato sauce, homemade pizza, a good (note the word “GOOD”) Italian dressing, cannoli, cassata cake, oh, and of course Italian drinks. So that’s why, when a group of girls I get together with decided to make limoncello one weekend, I knew I was in.
NOT homemade limoncello – rather the limoncello (and glasses!) my parents brought me back from their trip to Europe
We used a recipe from Gizmodo, and after a few minor tweaks, I’m happy to share it with you! Please note – even though it’s easy, it does take some patience. You need to let it sit for about a month before you can finish it and serve!
Easy Homemade Limoncello
Here’s what you need:
- 1 bottle plain vodka (750 ml) – I believe I used Absolut
- 2 lemons, rinsed (ideally organic, Meyer lemons)
- Cheesecloth
- Twine
- 2/3 cups simple syrup
- Zest of one OTHER large lemon (again, ideally organic)
Here’s what you do:
- Pour vodka into a large glass jar.
- Wrap two rinsed lemons in cheesecloth and suspend over vodka. I tied them in the cheesecloth and then used twin to secure them, tying one end of the twine to the cheesecloth and one end to the clasp on the jar I had.
- Seal the jar tightly, and let sit in a cool, dark place for about 4-6 weeks. Don’t disturb – be patient!
- After about a month (I let mine sit for closer to 6 weeks), open the jar and toss the cheesecloth-wrapped lemons. Add simple syrup and the fresh zest of the other large organic lemon.
- Let sit for at least 30 minutes (I had mine sit overnight) and then strain the mixture through a new cheesecloth so that the rind is removed from the drink.
Enjoy!
What it looks like before you let it sit for a month
After about 6 weeks, I added homemade simple syrup (50/50 mixture of water and sugar, boiled then simmered) and lemon rind.
remove the rind with a cheesecloth and serve! Our pour into a jar and share 🙂
